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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — a publisher
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. tube — a container
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. mate — a partner
  9. press — newspapers
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — for catching
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. cue — a signal
  15. net — after costs
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. mate — to breed
  19. wax — to grow
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cue — for pool
  24. mate — a friend

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com